Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are one of the most iconic duos in NBA history. The legendary Los Angeles Lakers duo took the NBA world by storm, not only with their individual personalities but also their game. The turn of the century was the Lakers show and nothing else. When The Big Aristotle moved to the Miami Heat, many fans were left heartbroken, but he had another journey to take with the young Dwayne Wade.

Dwayne Wade was 22 years old when O’Neal arrived in Miami. The legendary Laker decided to change his ways to win another NBA title. Dwayne Wade, just like Kobe Bryant when he arrived at the Lakers, was a young star, who needed guidance. Similarly, Shaq decided to be of help to D-Wade.

Shaquille O’Neal on how he motivated Kobe and D-Wade

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the best trash talkers of the game, and he didn’t even spare his own teammates. The seven-foot giant arrived at the Los Angeles Lakers with a young Kobe Bryant and decided to get the best out him.

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Shaq was recently interviewed by Esquire, where he was asked about everything including his experience with the Miami Heat. The interviewer asked the Big Aristotle to draw parallels between his time with young Kobe and a young Dwayne Wade.

“Me and Kobe, we came in together. Got signed on the same day. So, we had eight years to grow.” said Shaq. He further added, “I’m going to the Heat, I’m an older player, I ain’t got time for these psychological games” 

O’Neal specified the difference in his timelines with the Lakers before mentioning his preferred way of motivating youngsters like Bryant and Wade. 

“What I learned to do with Kobe is, you get him mad, he plays on a different level. I knew that from the days we used to call him ‘Showboat. ” said Shaq. He further added, “I knew exactly what I was doing. Because I was the first one to see the kid when he was 18 years old. And I saw that he wanted to be great.”

O’Neal mentioned how his upbringing by his father made his approach towards youngsters pretty different.

Shaq and D-Wade in Miami

By the time Shaq went on to win his first Championship with the Miami Heat, Wade was a star. 

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The four-time NBA Champion previously mentioned how he had given all the responsibility of the 2006 NBA Finals to Wade. The youngster in Miami became a seasoned professional by the time he reached his first NBA final.